A WORLD CHAMPION VISITS YALLOURN
One of the most eagerly anticipated events in Yallourn in 1954 was the visit by the world billiards champion Walter Lindrum. It may difficult for younger readers to appreciate but, in those times, billiards was an exceedingly popular sport throughout Australia.
The following article was published in 1954; and it reported that the Yallourn War Memorial Appeal Committee had arranged for Walter Lindrum to give a series of exhibition games at the St John’s Hall.
The footnotes to this story also refer to Walter’s brother, Fred, who had visited Yallourn in 1931.

April 10th 1954
‘MORWELL ADVERTISER’ - Page 4
Lindrum Helps Yallourn
War Memorial Appeal
World Champion billiardist, Walter Lindrum, has most generously offered to help the current Yallourn War Memorial Appeal by giving exhibitions of billiards, snooker and trick shots at St. John's Hall, Yallourn, on April 21st and 22nd, entirely free of any expense to the Memorial Committee.
There will be two sessions 'each day at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., an outstanding feature of which will be lecturettes on billiards and snooker by Lindrum.
During the Empire tournament in London, Lindrum made breaks of 4,137, 3,262 besides making 28 breaks of over 2,000 and 700 breaks of over 1,000 during his career. In snooker his best breaks are 139, 134, 129, 127, 118 and 113, and 12 others of over 100.
He is the holder of the English, Irish, Scottish, American, Canadian, South African, Indian, Australian and all World's records.
The committee has set the price of 5/ per session, which it does not consider excessive for two hours exhibition and lecturette by the greatest billiardist of all time.
Work Commenced on Memorial
With to date £530 subscribed to the appeal, the project is taking shape and a full scale model has been erected in the Town Square. Following the committee's suggestions of certain modifications to the architects, working drawings are being prepared and the stone has been ordered. A decision has also been made as to the inscription, a few simple works in keeping with the forthrightness of the design.
FOOTNOTES
A few weeks later, the same newspaper reported that Walter Lindrum’s exhibition at Yallourn had been an overwhelming success …
“The Yallourn War Memorial Appeal will benefit to the extent of over £450 as the result of the billiards exhibitions given last week by Walter Lindrum. His show was voted the best one man entertainment ever to visit Yallourn.” ‘Morwell Advertiser’ May 1st 1954.
2. On the basis of 5/- (shillings) per person admittance fee, it appears that about 1,800 people attended the exhibition in Yallourn. Note: £450.0.0 (pounds) is equivalent to approximately $14,700 today and such an amount in 1954 would have been a substantial contribution to the War Memorial Appeal.
3. Walter Lindrum (born 1898) was the son of Frederick William Lindrum. The Lindrum family members not only played billiards, at a most proficient level, but enthusiastically promoted the game throughout the world. Walter’s older brother, Fred, was a brilliant billiardist and had won the Australian Billiards Championship in1909.
4. It must have been a huge thrill for the people of Yallourn to see Walter in action. Walter held super star status throughout Australia; and he was once called the ‘Bradman of Billiards’. According to ‘The Age’ writer Greg Baum …
“1931, Lindrum gave a billiards exhibition for the King and other members of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace. King George V presented Lindrum with a pair of gold and enamel cuff links bearing the royal monogram. These formed part of Lindrum's essential attire for the remainder of his playing career, and he wore them daily for the rest of his life.”
5. Walter was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame and was also featured on an Australian postage stamp in 1981. His portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery of Australia; and he was awarded an MBE in 1951 and OBE in 1958.
6. Walter Lindrum died in 1960 at the age of 61 years. His death was somewhat of a mystery and doubt still exists today as to the exact cause of his demise…
“On 30 July 1960, at the age of 61, Walter Lindrum suddenly became ill and died while on holiday in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. The cause of death was officially listed as heart failure, but it has alternatively been suggested that he died as a result of food poisoning from a steak and kidney pie.” Melbourne Daily Website.
Walter was given a State Funeral and was interred at the Melbourne Cemetery.
7. Billiards and snooker were a common pastime, particularly during the winter months, for many of the men who resided in the West and Eastern camps in Yallourn during that period.
8. News reports in 1931 indicate that competitive billiard matches, between Yallourn and Morwell, were held in the RSL clubhouse in those days. The family names of players listed in the results in local papers in 1931 included…Whitely, Jeffrey, Davey, Philip, Lovell, Ross, Jaggard and Thompson. A team from Trafalgar was also mentioned in some earlier press reports of billiards.
9. It is known that Mr Jaggard (mentioned above) played a game of snooker against Fred Lindrum in September 1930 at the Davey Billiard Room (Morwell)….
“At the conclusion of the match Mr Lindrum played Mr Jaggard, of Yallourn, a game of snooker, which Lindrum won easily. He afterwards played some remarkable fancy shots, such as cannons with all balls in motions, in offs with balls in motion, mashie shots into pockets and mashie shots for cannons.” ‘Morwell Advertiser’ October 1930.
Note: ‘Mashie’ is a term applied to certain type of shot in golf and sometimes snooker.

May 1st 1954 Advertiser Page 4
WALTER LINDRUM'S GRAVE Melbourne Daily website
Walter Albert Lindrum, OBE (29 August 1898 – 30 July 1960), often known as Wally Lindrum, was an Australian professional player of English billiards who held the World Professional Billiards Championship from 1933 until his retirement in 1950. He was named Walter Albert to have the initials of the state where he was born - W.A. (Western Australia). He was one of the most successful players ever seen in billiards, with 57 world records to his credit, some of which still stand. Lindrum is also considered amongst Australia's all-time greatest sportspeople.
In 1981 Lindrum was honoured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post, which featured a caricature of him by famed artist Tony Rafty. Lindrum was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Western Australia Sporting Hall of Champions in 1985. His house in Melbourne at 158 Kerferd Road, Albert Park, is noted for its historical association with him by the Port Phillip Council.
In Melbourne, the Hotel Lindrum on Flinders Street has incorporated much memorabilia associated with Walter Lindrum. The building formerly housed the Lindrum's Billiard Centre run by Walter's niece, Dolly. One of the original tables from the Billiard Centre has been fully restored there by the original manufacturing company. In April 2009, the Hotel Lindrum hosted the Capital Cup, a billiards tournament that, on its 10th Anniversary, honoured the life and history of Walter Lindrum.
His body was returned to Melbourne, and he was given a state funeral attended by 1,500 people. He was buried at Melbourne General Cemetery, with champion cyclist Sir Hubert Opperman raising the funds for a distinctive monument consisting of a billiards table, complete with balls and cue; more than fifty years after his death the site reportedly remains the most visited grave in this substantial cemetery.
It has been proposed to have a large collection of Lindrum memorabilia including personal and professional effects, newspaper clippings, diagrams of his shots, letters, and photographs moved to a special display in Australia's National Sports Museum.

This story is part of a history project entitled ‘From the Newspapers’ and a full list of titles in this series can be obtained by contacting Julie George. Julie presented and posted this story on the website while the research and writing were completed by Roger Spaull for the Virtual Yallourn website in May 2017.